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  • E-bikes are a Transportation Revolution
  • Background
  • My E-Bikes / Specs
  • Reflections
  • Getting Started
  • Gear / Accessories
  • Documenting Rides
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E-bikes are a Transportation Revolution

I bought an e-bike in November 2020, it was life-changing, and now I have 4 (pedal-assist, not throttle). I'm documenting my reflections about the e-bike space here, in the hope it will help others.

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Last updated 3 years ago

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4 e-bikes on the Hoboken waterfront

Index

  • : bike-sharer → bike-owner → e-bike maniac

    • : weights between 35-60lbs, ranges from 25-130mi, prices from $1900-$7000 ($2500-$8000 incl. gear)

    • : great all-around / starter / city e-bike

    • : smallest fold, most portable, great all around

    • : large cargo capacity, folds up for easy storage

    • : light, fast, long-range

    • : higher top speed – and acceleration – make a big difference in traffic

    • : a lot more people can get around quickly+comfortably on ebikes

    • : ebikes are as fast as cars in urban environments; can solve congestion and parking issues

    • : high mobility per unit space; combine with other modes (trains, buses, ferries)

      • : parking takes too much space in cities, and is heavily subsidized; bike parking is 5-10x more efficient

    • : the average car cost could fund e-bikes for 10 families

    • :

      • : basically any grocery run, and a surprising number of bulk item moves, can be done via e-bike

      • : easy to carry 1 or 2 kids by e-bike

      • : I get groceries by e-bike and it's great

      • : I moved across town – with 2wks of stuff – by ebike

    • : cars make streets miserable for everyone not in a car; doing this to 100% of streets is extreme, and terrible policy.

    • : easy way to get used to city biking/scooting (if unfamiliar)

    • : rent a few types of bikes before buying one

      • :

      • : can't hurt, but often used to blame/criminalize cyclists for infrastructure/engineering problems

      • : the more the better

      • : similar to helmets; good practice, but often discussed unfairly

    • : , , all useful

    • : generally not possible (might work with e-brompton); generally easy/possible

      • : $83/mo (incl. maintenance/theft/insurance coverage), $3k outright

      • : popular under $2k

  • : 10-20% a bike's cost in add-ons can make it 10x more useful

    • : I use helmet with lights built in

    • : starting point for carrying bags' worth of stuff on rides

    • : get weight off of you and onto the bike, where it rolls

      • : bags that hang from sides of back rack; can be quite large, very useful

      • : smaller bags up around your handlebars for essentials

      • : small/medium bags attached to the frame

      • : medium bags on top of back rack or behind+underneath seat

    • : phone mounted up front (e.g. w/ turn-by-turn directions) is surprisingly useful; I use .

    • : , , , ,

    • : (medium weight, decent security), (lighter / more clearance but weaker), (compact+light extra security layer)

    • : , rear-view mirrors ( ), ,

    • : ,

    • : are popular + good

    • : easier+better than you think, $200 of gear solves cold down to ≈25ºF

      • : , , and

    • : I use a and , in , to

    • :

    • :

      • : robust recording app (resumes after phone crashes), good small-circle social network, good open data posture

      • : similar to Strava, emphasis on route planning/sharing, UX is clunkier

      • : cool app on top of Strava, providing stats/viz about places you've been and places you might still like to explore

    • : dealing with videos afterward is its own adventure

      • are pretty hard to deal with; telemetry data is often not recorded correctly, and the GoPro software ecosystem is a mess

      • : / Samsungs, palm-sized

      • : never worry about SD-card capacity in-camera (there's enough to worry about when the data comes off the camera)

      • : cheap+easy cloud storage; good option for archival video storage

      • : unfortunately necessary to do anything with action-camera videos

      • : I've posted some ride videos to

Background
My e-bikes
Reflections
Getting Started
Sheldon Brown on front brakes
Gear
a Lumos "Kickstart"
Quad Lock
front
rear
party
Vont 'Pyro' (set)
KNOG (set)
Kryptonite U-lock + cable
OnGuard U-Lock
OTTO cable lock
bell
1
2
kickstand
hand pump
padded gloves
light but warm winter gloves
Clever Hoods
my main pair
another good pair
one that actually makes a women's size
GoPro Hero 9 Black
GoPro Hero 8 Black
film rides
good all-around active shorts w/ pockets
Documenting Rides
1TB
2TB
Neighbor Ryan on YouTube
Speed ⟹ Safety
Speed ⟹ Inclusion
Speed ⟹ Convenience
Space
Bike vs. Car Storage
Cost
Cargo
Groceries, Bulk Items
Kids
PoV: Grocery Runs
PoV: Moving House
Health
Fun
Car sewers
Overview/Specs
VanMoof X3
Brompton Electric
Tern Vektron Q9
Specialized Creo Comp Carbon
Bike Shares
Renting
Safety
Stats
Speed
Fear
Riding on Sidewalks
Stopping at Stop Signs / Red Lights
Braking
Helmets
Lights
Hi-Viz Clothing
Route Planning
Street View
Ride with GPS
Strava
Traveling with E-bikes
flying
trains/boats
Starter Packs
VanMoof X3 + Gear
RadPower
Reading
ElectricBikeReview.com
r/ebikes
Helmets
Racks, Baskets
Bags
Panniers
Cockpit Bags
Frame Bags
Back-Rack / Seat Bags
Phone Mounts
Lights
Locks
Misc. Accessories
Gloves
Rain Gear
Winter Cycling
Heated Gloves
Heated Vests
Pogies
Heated Socks
Hand Warmers
Action Cameras
a chest harness and seat-rail mount
Padded Shorts
Ride-tracking apps
Strava
RideWithGPS
wandrer.earth
Post-Processing Videos
GoPros
External SSDs
512GB micro-SD
Wasabi Cloud Storage
VFX Suites
YouTube